InTransition Podcast

Presented by David Pembroke of contentgroup, InTransition is a weekly podcast dedicated to the practice of content communication in the public sector. Every week David interviews leading experts in public sector communications from policy makers, to agencies with government clients, to journalists and technical specialists. The world of communications is changing, be part of the transition.

This week on InTransition we talk to Osama Saeed Bhutta,
Director of Communications at Amnesty International and former Head
of Communications at Al Jazeera.

Osama started out as a volunteer organiser and press officer for
the Stop the War movement in the UK, which later landed him a
position with the Scottish National Party as a media and research
officer.

Fast forward a decade and a remarkable career with news
organisation Al Jazeera, Osama is now the Head of Communications
for Amnesty International. His role is to unite and mobilise the
world against ever worsening humanitarian crises, widening gaps in
wealth, education and equality and more refugees than ever before
in the history of the world.

“The other side make very emotionally laden arguments,” he said
of the difficulty in presenting an engaging, rational opposition to
many of today’s issues. “When you’re trying to get into people’s
hearts, that kind of fact based approach, which has historically
been the approach of NGOs, is less successful, and at the moment,
we are being eaten for breakfast as a movement.”

Discussed in this episode:

When images work against you and disempower your audience

The problem with highlighting the problem

The need for positive messaging in the harshest times

The importance of publicising the historical

The role of the internet in uniting people and the need for
people to get out from behind their keyboards

About the Podcast

Presented by David Pembroke of contentgroup, InTransition is a weekly podcast dedicated to the practice of content communication in the public sector. Every week David interviews a leading expert in this area, ranging from government communicators to journalists to agencies working with public sector clients.